Come if you want, I really don't care
by Flashpoint.of.Fun
Summary: Vlad is minding his own business when an unexpected visitor shows up with a story and a tempting proposition. I don't own Danny Phantom.


**This is a little AU. Basically, The Disastroid incident did occur, but Vlad was smart enough to keep his nose out of it. Danny's reveal did happen, as without Vlad's interference he was left to figure out how to save the planet, but Vlad remains a secret. So, here it goes.**

Vlad Masters sat on an incredibly expensive, ornately decorated love seat. His neatly straitened ponytail rested on the pleated back of the settee that stretched to the comfortable height that only the well-crafted reached. He sipped on a dainty cup of imported earl grey tea while reading "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. The fire in the hearth crackled invitingly and Vlad reveled in the heat emanating from the glowing flames. Others may have found the temperature of the room stifling but to his fire core it seemed just right.

Vlad hated the winter season, not only was the cold particularly unbearable from his abilities, but Christmas was always a lonely occasion that he was more inclined to mourn than to celebrate. In the year following the strange truce that Vlad had struck up with Danny one hot June night he had mellowed and no longer found the joy that his devilishly crafted plans used to bring him. Once he had stopped antagonizing his little badger he had soon felt a surge of all-consuming loneliness that had left him grasping comfort from old novels and raging fires, but no matter what he did he couldn't seem to find the peace he so desperately craved.

Vlad was startled from his musings by a soft rapping on his door. He stood up slowly, longing suddenly for the days in which he could expect someone whom he cared about to be knocking. He opened the door and jolted from shock as he saw a face that he never expected to see again. Sure she was a little grown up, defiantly a few years older than when she had left, but she was still completely recognizable. She was wearing a familiar white t-shirt with a red oval that told him blatantly that Daniel had been taking care of her. Her blue eyes had a spark of unease as she glanced behind him and the inky strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail revealed that she had flown there. Vlad overcame his paralyzing surprise and gestured to her through the door, both taking their own seats in easy chairs that sat opposite one another, Vlad grasping his little cup. Why now? What had brought Danielle here now?

"Why?" He rasped, quickly sipping his tea to calm his nerves and soothe his throat. "No… _what_ , may I ask, are you doing here?" She looked at him warily, flicking her eyes around the room.

"I brought a message." Vlad noted that her voice had matured; it fit the 15 year old female. He finally registered her statement, "From whom," he inquired "I was under the impression that you found me unsavory." Her eyes swept in a roll that made Vlad nearly cry for its similarity to Daniel.

"I do find you unsavory. If it was up to me you would be here suffering for your mistakes like the old, bitter fool you are. But, Dad has too big a heart for his own good and his hero complex makes him want to save you from your lonely destiny. Not that you deserve it." Vlad blinked rapidly, who exactly had inspired this surge of fire in the eyes of the young girl that used to trip over her own feet to please him? Who had sharpened her tongue into a weapon that lashed out so ferociously? Vlad realized that she had indeed grown up, she had stopped being a naïve little girl and had become a fierce protector, a lioness desperate to keep her father safe. Wait, she'd said her _father._ Vlad's eyes widened as her words registered. Who did she consider her father? Who had she given the role that he had so foolishly surrendered? He jolted out of his thoughts as she tapped on his forehead rather rudely. "Hello, any one in there cheese head. If you don't snap out of it, I'm leaving."

"F-f-father…" Vlad stuttered. Danielle's eyes widened in surprise, "You don't know." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "I can't believe he didn't tell you, or you didn't hear it somewhere. Vlad, I was adopted. I was adopted by Danny." Vlad couldn't help himself, he blurted "But he is still just a child!" It was true, Daniel was only 18. He would have been even younger when he adopted Danielle, he shouldn't have been able to adopt her at all. Danielle looked at him quizzically. "Not in the eyes of the law. Dad got emancipated about 3 months after you guys declared a truce. He came looking for me after he was settled into his apartment. When he saw the shape I was in he took me back to his place. He filed for adoption, but the courts didn't want to grant him custody. It took a long ferocious battle that involved the rights of ecto-americans, the fact that I was practically already his daughter; being made of his DNA and all, Maddie and Jack agreeing to take responsibility if he was declared unfit, some psyco-babble from Jazz about my need to be with another half ghost, and Dad agreeing to 6 month checks on almost every aspect of his life till he is 21 to assure he remains a fit guardian. It also helped that he as saved the world a few times, and that Sam threatened to cause a protest about the whole situation's injustice with help from the community. That and a go-fund-me account that raised close to a million dollars that Dad used to hire some really good lawyers. Honestly I'm surprised you didn't see it on the news." Vlad's mouth didn't close the entire time she was speaking, but he knew his first question had to be "Why did Danny get emancipated?" Danielle seemed to be a little warmer towards him now that they were talking about Daniel.

"Well, after the Disasteroid incident, Fenton-Works was suddenly on the map, everyone was requesting their inventions, and the publicity was focused solely on the ghost boy living under the ghost hunters' roof. Plus all those inventions were constantly targeting him. The last straw though, that had to be when he was attacked." Danielle's eye brows lowered into a scowl. "One of Jack and Maddie's clients turned out to be a bit unhinged. He bought himself a shiny new Fenton ecto-bazooka and turned it on Dad. He was spouting some nonsense about how a half ghost was a monstrosity that didn't deserve existence. And then he fired at Dad with one of his parents' own inventions. It took him a while to get over his emotional trauma, and it didn't help that he was going to go back to living with the inventors of the gun that almost killed him. Dad requested emancipation the day he got out of the hospital. The courts granted it to him, seeing as he was financially stable from the revenue his action figures, comics, and other paraphernalia got him. And then he came looking for me." Vlad looked at her puzzled "But if he is was so unhappy with his parents why did he let them have any responsibility pertaining to you?"

"Well for one, he knew he would never do anything to jeopardize his guardianship over me, and secondly, you know how Dad is; he forgave them almost as soon as he moved out. But by then he had decided he wanted to find me, so he didn't move back to his parent's house." Vlad saw a small smile on Danielle's lips and acknowledged for the first time that he had missed out when he had pushed her away. He knew he had been a fool, but her being here; smiling that familiar smirk, was causing him to hurt because he knew it was his fault she was with Daniel and not him. So he decided to get to the point of this visit. "So Danielle, you said you had a message."

Vlad could have sworn he saw a flash of annoyance in her eyes, what he had said wrong, he didn't know, but that was cleared up quickly. "Vlad, don't call me Danielle. I am still Dani, with an-." Vlad interrupted with a tone dripping with disbelief, " _Dani?_ But wouldn't that be confusing with you and Daniel living together?" She rolled her eyes. "Gee, your faith in our reasoning skills is astounding. But think for a moment, Dad is 18. How many 18-year-old Danny's do you know? " Vlad blinked, she had a point there. He didn't comment as she continued, "Dad goes by Dan now. He was uncomfortable with it at first, but Sam convinced him that it was alright, and he knew it was time to change his nickname with me in the house."

"Anyway, I'm here because Dad wants to invite you to our Christmas Eve celebration." Vlad was about to interrupt, but she held up a hand. "No, Jack and Maddie do not come to our Christmas Eve; it's just me, Dad, Sam, and Tucker. And if you accept, you'll be part of it. It's our quiet little gift giving session before the annual 'Santa-Isn't-Real-Oh-Yes-He-Is' war between Jack and Maddie on Christmas day. You're not obligated, but Dad wanted to invite you and Sam thought it'd be a good opportunity to reconnect and make amends for thing that happened in the past." She finished with a few audible clicks of her back as she stood up. "Now," She said warmly, "I must be getting home before Dad gets nervous and raids this castle. Come if you want, don't come if you don't want to. But don't say we left you here to rot and get some crazy vendetta against us."

And with that she walked out the door before Vlad could even respond. And because of that, she never heard the quiet thank you that was snatched away by the cold air she left in her wake.

 **Wonderfully lame quote I want to leave y'all with because I find it great.**

 **"Friendship is so weird... You just pick a human you've met and you're like "yup, I like this one" and you just do stuff with them." -Bill Murray**


End file.
